Forming attachments for concrete molding machines



W. F. WILSON Nov. 4, 1958 Filed July 1a, 1953 3 6 2 v u v A 1 w a a 5 7 A p Z INVENTOR. WAYNE F V/L50 f lww m 4 m LWW United States Patent l FORMING ATTACHMENTS FOR CONCRETE MOLDING MACHINES Wayne F. Wilson, Council Bluffs, Iowa, assignor to Wilson Concrete Company, Red Oak, Iowa, a corporation of Iowa Application July 16, 1953, Serial No. 368,344 3 Claims. (Cl. 25-30) This invention relates generally to machines for forming pipe from concrete or like material and more particularly to attachments for such machines for forming spigots and sockets at the opposite ends of the formed pipe sections.

An object of this invention is to provide improved attachments for use with pipe forming machines for forming spigots and sockets at the opposite ends of the formed pipe sections.

A further object of this invention is to provide an attachment for a concrete forming machine of the type wherein a tubular mold is rotated about a roller arranged in a spaced relation with the axis of the mold, with the attachment being loosely mounted on the roller at a position within the mold for efficiently packing concrete between the attachment and the mold to form recesses or indentations of a desired configuration on the inner periphery of the object being formed.

Another object of this invention is to provide spigot and socket forming attachments for concrete pipe forming machines which are simple in construction, economical to manufacture, and readily mountable on the machines to efli'ciently form spigots and sockets at opposite ends of the pipe section being formed.

Further objects, features and advantages of this invention will become apparent from a consideration of the following description when taken in connection with the accompanying drawing in which:

Fig. 1 is a side elevation of a concrete pipe forming machine showing the assembly therewith of the socket similarly to Fig. 3 and showing a modified form of socket forming attachment of this invention.

With reference to the drawing, a forming machine, indicated generally at 10, for making pipe from concrete or like moldable material is shown in Fig. 1.

11 which is made from a metal plate flexed to form a tube, the metal flanges 12 of which are secured by bolts 13 to form the tubular mold 11. When the bolts 13 are removed, the mold 11 may be opened outwardly to release a pipe which has been formed within the mold 11.

Mounted within the mold 11 (Fig. 3) at the end 14 thereof, is an annular spacer ring 16 of a width corresponding to the desired thickness of the pipe to be formed within the mold 11. The spacer ring 16 ia formed on its outer periphery with "an annular groove 15 which receives a corresponding annular projection 25 formed The machine 10 includes a substantially horizontal tubular mold 'ice 2 on the inner side of the mold 11. A second spacer ring 17, of a width corresponding to the width of the spacer ring 16, is similarly'mounted at the opposite end 18 of the mold 11 and includes an annular groove 15a which receives a corresponding annular projection 25a formed on the inner side of the mold 11.

The spacer rings 16 and 17 are supported on a substantially horizontal tubular roller support 19 extended through the mold 11 in spaced relation with the axis of the mold 11. In other words, the roller support 19 is eccentrically arranged relative to the mold 11. The roller support 19 is supported in longitudinally spaced bearings 20 and 21 (Fig. 1) arranged adjacent to and outwardly of the opposite ends 14 and18, respectively, of the mold 11 and a bearing 22 arranged in a longitudinally spaced relation with the bearing 21 outwardly of the mold 11. The bearings. 20, 21 and 22 are carried by upright longitudinally spaced supports 23 (Fig. 2) which are of an open construction and carried on a base' unit 8. The bearing 20' (Fig. 2) is removable from the roller support 19, so that the mold 11 with the finished pipe enclosed within the mold 11 can be drawn off the roller support for removal from the mold of a formed pipe section.

In the formation of a pipe, with the machinell), the mold 11 is assembled with the spacer rings 16 and 17 firmly held within opposite ends of the mold 11.

This is accomplished by locating the annular projections or ribs 25 and 25a, within their corresponding annular recesses 15 and 15a in the spacer rings 16 and 17, respectively, when the bolts 13 are loosened. On tightening of the bolts 13 the spacer rings are firmly clamped within the mold 11 so as to constitute inwardly projected annular flanges or bearings therefor. With the mold 111 and spacer rings 16 and 17 thus assembled the bearing 20'is swung clear of the roller support 19 and the mold 11 positioned about the roller support 19, by the use of a suitable lift device or overhead support (not shown). The bearing 20 is then swung 'back into position to support the roller 19, and the mold 11 lowered to a position in which the spacer rings 16 and 17 rest on the top side of the roller support 19.

A pair of stop collars 66, adjustably mounted on the roller support 19 on opposite sides of the mold 11, have set screws 67 for frictionally engaging the roller support 19 to firmly hold the collars 66 in an adjusted position. The mold 11 is thus movable longitudinally of the roller support 19 between the collars 66 for a purpose to appear later.

. A's'ubstantially horizontal conveyor 24 (Fig. 3) is arranged with oneof its ends within the mold 11 below the roller support 19. Concrete deposited in the conveyor 24 outwardly of the mold 11 is discharged into the lower side of the mold from the conveyor end 26.

An upright drive belt 27 is frictionally'engaged with the roller support 19 at a position between the bearings 21 and 22, with 'the belt 27 being driven from a suitable source of power (not shown) for driving the roller support :19 at a suitable speed. The frictional engagement of the spacer rings 16 and 17 with the roller support 19 induces a rotation of the mold 11 upon rotation of the roller support 19.

When forming concrete pipes with the machine 10, a concrete of low water content is used, so that the concrete is of a relatively dry or crumbly consistency. The concrete is introduced gradually,by means of the conveyor 24, "with the conveyor 24 being operated concurrently with thero-tation of the mold 11 to deliver concrete to the'mold 11 as. the same is required. With the mass of concrete in the bottom of the mold 11, therotation of the mold 11 carries the concrete upwardly to thus distribute the concrete along the inside of the mold-11. This action is aided by the roller support 19 which presses 3 orpacks concrete between the roller support 19 and the wall of the mold 11 above the roller support 19, to a thickness limited by the space between the roller 19 and the top side of the mold 11, namely, to the radialidimension of the spacer rings 16 and 17.

Some of the concrete carried upwardly by'the rotation of the mold 11, falls or is moved onto the inner peripheral surfaces of the spacer rings 16 and 17 so as to be continuously carried by the rings to the roller support 19. As a result the rings 16 and'17ride on such concrete at the support .19 whereby to eifect a continuous high frequency vibration of the mold 11 that imparts a. desirable settling or tamping action to the concrete within the mold to further aid the roller support 19 in packing concrete against the inner. surfaceoff the mold 11. The limited longitudinalmovement of the mold 11 on the roller support 19 between the stop collars 66 further facilitates this vibration of the mold 11.

The socket forming attachment of this invention, indicated generally at 31 (Figs. 3 and 4), is positioned on the roller support 19 adjacent the end 14 of the mold 11, and'consists of a ring like body member 32 having a central mounting opening 33 of a size to loosely receive the roller support 19. The body member 32 is of a diameter to extend radially from the roller support 19 a distance less than the radial dimension of the spacer rings 16 and 17. The outer'peripheral surface 34 of the body member 32, has tapered sections 35 and 37 inclined toward the roller support 19 in a direction inwardly of the mold 11, and is positioned in a spaced relation with the inner peripheral surface of the mold 11. The outer face 36 of the member 32 is flat and positioned against the inner side of one of the spacer rings with the ring 16 being illustrated in Fig. 3.

It can thus be seen that by virtue of its loose mounting on the roller support 19, the attachment 31 is movable longitudinally of the roller support corresponding to the longitudinal movement of the mold 11 during the formation of a pipe section, indicated at 43.

The spigot forming attachment of this invention, indicated at 38 (Figs. 1 and 3), is positioned on the roller towardthe roller support 19 in a direction outwardly of the mold 11.

In the operation of the pipe forming machine with the socket forming attachment 31 and the spigot forming attachment 38, the socket forming attachment 31 rotates freely on the roller support 19 by virtue of its loose mounting on the roller support 19. This loose support and free rotation of the attachment 31 on the roller support 19 permits concrete to enter the restricted mold space 40 and provides for the vibration of the attachment 31 relative to the support 19 and mold 11 so as to effect an eflicient packing of the concrete between the attachment 31 and the adjacent or top inner surface of the mold 11. pipe section 43 is thus of a solid and full construction, free of voids or unformed portions.

Thus, as shown in Fig. 3, the mold space 40 consists essentially of a pocket formed. within a corner of the mold 11. It has been found that when the socket attachment is rigid on the support 19, that concrete. is either restricted by frictional resistance from passing into the space 40 between the attachment and themold, or that the attachment, acts. to merely press the concrete away from. the space 40, namely, the concrete on being pressed tends to move in a direction of least resistance. However, by rotatably mounting the attachment 31 on the The formed socket 42 at one end of thement 31 illustrated in Fig. 3, is shown.

support 19, for movement axially of the support 19, the attachment is permitted to both vibrate relative to the mold 11 and to reciprocate through a limited distance axially of the support. This axial reciprocal movement effects a gradual feeding of concrete into the space 40, in response to the compressing and spreading action of the support, with the vibrational action tending to tamp or pack thecon'crete so fed within the space 40.

The provision of the spigot forming attachment 38 provides for the forming of a spigot 44 on the opposite end of the pipe section 43 between the attachment 38 and the roller support 19. It has been found unnecessary to provide for a loose mounting of the attachment 38 on the support 19, since concrete is readily moved or compressed within the mold forming space for the spigot by the support 19 without requiring any relative and vibrational movement between the attachment 38 and the mold 11.

It can thus be seen thata pipe section 43 is formed with a socket 42 and aspigot 44, with the pipe 43 between the spigot 44 and the socket 42 being of a uniform thickness within the mold 11. When the pipe section 43 has been so formed, rotation of the roller support 19 is' stopped, and the mold 11 is lifted free of the roller support 19. The bearing 20 is then swung clear of the roller support 19 and the mold 11 is removed from the machine 10. The inner surface of the pipe is then preferably sleeked off with a knife or trowel to the required smoothness. When the pipe section 43 has set sufficiently, the bolts 13in the mold flanges 12 are removed, and the mold 11 opened outwardly sufiiciently to permit the removal of the spacer rings 16 and 17 which thus permits the removal" of the finished pipe section 43.

In Fig. 4, a modification of the socket forming'attachform of the socket forming attachment, indicated generally at'46, is mounted on the roller support 19 intermediate the ends of the mold 11 and functions as a divider to form a pair of pipe sections 47 and 48 within the mold 11, concurrently with forming a socket 49 in the inner end of the pipe section 48. The attachment 46 consists of a pair of ring like sections 51 and 52 having axially aligned central openings 53 of a size to provide for the attachment 46 being loosely received on the roller support 19. On their inner sides, the sections 51 and 52 are provided with enlarged annular cavities 54 which communicate with the respective central openings 53 in the sections 51 and 52. d

When the attachment 46' is being used, the roller sup port 19 is provided with an annular projection or key 56 at a position on the roller support 19 corresponding to the desired position of the socket forming attachment 46. In the assembly of the attachment 46 on the roller support 19, the cylindrical sections 51 and 52 are received on the roller support 19 on opposite sides of the annular projection 56, with the sections 51 and 52 then being clamped together by cap screws 57 having their head ends positioned in counter sunk cavities 58 provided in the outer face of the section 52. The combined lengths of the cavities 54 axially of the support 19 is greater than the width of the annular projection 56 to provide for a limited longitudinal movement of the attachment 46 on the roller support 19 corresponding substantially to the longitudinal movement of the mold 11 between the stop collars 66.

The socket forming attachment 46 is of substantially the same shape as the socket forming attachment 31- shown' in Fig. 3, having an inclined outer peripheral surface'o9 arranged in a spaced relation with the inner side of themold 11, a flat face 61 and an inwardly tapered inclined face 62 opposite the face 61. However, theattachment 46 includes an outwardly extended peripheral projection 63 on the cylindrical section 51, with aportion ofithe outer surface 64 of the projection 63 arranged adjacentthe innersurface of the top side of the mold 11 essence to divide the concrete within the mold 11 into the two pipe sections 47 and 48.

From the above description, it can be seen that this invention provides a pair of socket forming attachments 31 and 46 and a spigot forming attachment 38 for use with a concrete pipe forming machine which are of a simple construction, readily assembled on the machine and adapted to form sockets and spigots free of voids or unformed portions. It is to be noted that the shape of these attachments may be varied to provide for a desired shape of the sockets and spigots on the pipe sections being formed.

Also, it is apparent that the former attachments 31, 46 and 38 may be used to form sockets and spigots, respectively, in any member being formed of a moldable material regardless of the exterior shape of such member, it being necessary only that the member have a hollow interior defined by a circular wall. Further, a plurality of formers, similar to the attachment 31 and having any suitable exterior configuration, may be rotatably mounted on the support at positions spaced longitudinally of the member being formed to thus form a plurality of grooves, of the desired configuration, on the interior surface of the member. Thus, formers of the type described herein are useful in forming a plurality of recesses or indentations in the inner surfaces of pipes, well tile, concrete conduits and the like as the same are being formed.

Although the invention has been described with respect to a preferred embodiment thereof, it is to be understood that it is not to beso limited, since changes can be made therein which are Within the full intended scope of this invention as defined by the appended claims.

I claim:

1. A machine for forming members of a moldable material comprising, a tubular rotary mold for the material including a pair of axially spaced annular bearing means, a rotatable roller extended longitudinally through the mold in a spaced relation with the periphery of said mold and eccentrically located relative to the axis of said mold, said roller engaging said bearing means whereby to support said mold and whereby to frictionally rotate said mold about its axis upon rotation of said roller to thus compress material within the mold between the roller and the periphery of the mold, and a ring-like socket forming member mounted on one end of said roller within said mold and adapted to contact one of said bearing means, said socket forming member having an outer peripheral surface spaced from the inner periphery of said mold and having a central mounting opening of a size to loosely receive said roller, whereby upon rotation of said roller said socket forming member is radially and axially movable relative said roller.

2. For use with a pipe forming machine of the type wherein a substantially horizontal tubular mold for receiving a moldable material is provided at each end thereof with an inwardly extended annular bearing rideable on a common roller support extended longitudinally through said mold in an eccentric relation with the mold axis, means for concurrently forming a socket and a spigot of conforming configurations at the opposite ends of a. pipe being formed in said machine comprising, a ringshape socket forming member loosely mounted on said roller support within said mold and against one of the mold bearings for rotational and axial movement of the socket forming member relative to the roller support, with the outer peripheral surface of said socket former being in a spaced relation with the inner periphery of said mold, an annular spigot forming member positioned about the roller support at the opposite end of the mold, said spigot former being positioned within the mold and against the bearing and the inner periphery of the mold at said opposite end of the mold, and with the inner peripheral surface of said spigot former being in a spaced relation with the roller support.

3. For use with a pipe forming machine of the type wherein a substantially horizontal tubular mold for receiving a moldable material is provided at each end thereof with an inwardly extended annular bearing rideable on a roller support extended longitudinally through said mold in an eccentric relation with the mold axis and wherein means is provided for rotating the roller support about the axis thereof; a ring-shaped socket forming member loosely mounted on said roller support within said mold for rotational and axial movement relative to the roller, with said former having one end of an enlarged diameter axially movable against the inner side of one of said mold bearings, with said one end of the socket former being of a diameter to provide for the outer periphery thereof being located in a spaced relation with the inner periphery of the mold, and the diameter of said socket former being progressively reduced toward the other end thereof.

References Cited in the file of this patent UNITED STATES PATENTS 1,786,385 Andrews Dec. 23, 1930 1,787,094 Sorensen Dec. 30, 1930 2,499,387 Johnston Mar. 7, 1950 2,560,426 Fitzpatrick July 10, 1951 2,625,728 Eschenbrenner Jan. 20, 1953 2,701,403 Chanlund Feb. 8, 1955 FOREIGN PATENTS 167,877 Austria Mar. 10, 1951 

